In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the resurrection of Aslan (or Jesus) is not the end of the story. Yes, the stone table has cracked and death is working backwards. But the battle against Satan (the White Witch) and evil continues, although now with a significant difference.
Earlier in the story, we see the White Witch’s power to turn people into stone. Lucy encounters her friend, the faun Mr. Tumnus, who is now a stone statue in the White Witch’s castle. If you’ve ever watched the movie version of this story, it’s an amazing scene when Aslan breathes on Mr. Tumnus and turns stone back into flesh. Mr. Tumnus comes alive again!
The Bible often refers to the Holy Spirit as the breath of God. God’s Spirit (or breath) gives life. In the creation, God breathes life into the first human beings. And as we look back on the Easter story, immediately after his resurrection Jesus breathes his Spirit into his disciples:
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:19-22)
The breath of Aslan (or Jesus) turns our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. We might have been frozen in self-destructive habits or selfish behavior. Now we come alive again. Jesus breathes his own Spirit into us so we can live the life we’ve always wanted to live.
All four children who enter Narnia through the wardrobe are transformed.
- To Peter, who begins the story so unsure of himself, Aslan gives great courage in his battle with evil…This can be Jesus’ gift to us as well.
- To Susan, who begins the story fearful and doubting, Aslan gives great confidence and faith…So Jesus can offer to us.
- To Edmund, who begins the story as a traitor, Aslan gives the chance to begin again…And so for us, when we let go of our trust in our own adequacy and admit that we too are traitors to God and even to our own highest ideals, Jesus offers forgiveness and a fresh start.
- And to Lucy (my favorite) is given perhaps the best gift of all. When told in a later book in the series that she will not be coming back to Narnia, she weeps and says to Aslan:
“It isn’t Narnia, you know…it’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?” Lucy experiences the joy of simply being with Jesus. What greater gift is there?
Is not all this good news?
The “story behind the story” is so powerful. And as a child, this favorite book took on new meaning when my parents led us to the mystery behind the story. I will always treasure it…one of my favorite books then and now. JH
Hi John. I’m sure there are many other blog readers for whom the Narnia books are equally treasured. Thanks for your comment!